In the preseason I asked boys’ basketball coaches to share their Sweet Sixteen memories. One of those will be shared in this space for the next 10 weeks, finishing up the week of the boys’ Sweet Sixteen. This is from Pendleton County Coach Keaton Belcher:

“My senior year in high school our team (Pendleton County) played in the 2005 Sweet Sixteen. We played in an up-tempo exciting game versus Pleasure Ridge Park. They beat us 64-61 in overtime and they had JaJuan Spillman and Vincent Crutcher. We were both ranked top 10 in the state that year. PRP ended up losing to eventual state champs South Laurel in the semifinals.

“Playing in the Sweet Sixteen was a big deal for us and everybody from Pendleton County. We hadn’t been to state in 34 years. Our community support was incredible and it helped bring our community together. It was also a big deal for my family because my grandpa, Jim Belcher, played in the 1946 Sweet Sixteen for Campbell County.”